Tiny Potties…Little Things Really Do Matter!

We have tiny, pint-sized potties in the new hospital’s family restrooms. I discovered them on a tour the other day and they just made me smile – these perfect little potties sitting next to the adult version – both with auto-flush and ready to go for our families. Does it get better than that?

Actually the story does get better. I learned from Scott McClure, project engineer for the new main hospital, that the idea for these child-size toilets came from Bryan O., a project manager in our Information Services Department.

So I had to call Bryan – and it’s true. Bryan, who is also a proud daddy, recounted the story to me:

“At the time the new hospital was being designed, I recalled a recent visit to our emergency department with one of my boys. Of course, he had to go and I remember him struggling in the restroom because of his size. I thought to myself, we are a children’s hospital but we don’t have a bathroom that is orientated for children. So, I told Scott McClure he needed to consider this in the design of the new hospital. Or…I was going to take him with me the next time one of my boys had to go and let him work through the dilemma. I think he got the idea. And…here we are today.”

First – kudos to Bryan for sharing this great idea to improve our family’s experience but also to Scott and our entire construction team for considering this type of feedback. It’s a perfect example of how little things make a difference and that everything really matters.

I can’t wait to hear about what you think of the new hospital. We’re just a few weeks from our Grand Opening Celebrations. Mark your calendar for the Community Open House on June 10th so you can see the new hospital (and the tiny potties) for yourself.

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Donna Teach is Chief Marketing & Communication Officer at Nationwide Children's. Her job is to help the hospital feel "connected" – Connected to each other, connected to our patients and their families, referring physicians, the community and the world.

3 thoughts on “Tiny Potties…Little Things Really Do Matter!”

I can’t agree more. The last time my daughter was in our ED she was 2.5 years old and had just been potty trained and she refused to sit on an adult-size toilet. I could not believe that we didn’t have an child-size toile in a children’s hospital. Thankfully, after calling Child Life, we learned that there was 1 small toilet in all of NCH (in the Clublhouse). We took our IV pole and headed from the ED to the Clubhouse so that our sick child could use the restroom.

Oops! Those look like automatic flushers. Otherwise known as cylon potties, or the bane of small, potty-training kids. The size is great! Just wish there was a foolproof way to prevent them from flushing underneath a tiny bottom.